Many people have heard of beneficial pond bacteria, but are not familiar with what they can achieve in a pond, or how they achieve it. The first thing to discuss is to define the roles of beneficial pond bacteria in farm ponds and other ornamental ponds. The primary reasons pond owners use pond bacteria is to clear up murky water, reduce bottom sludge (muck), control orders, and reduce excess problem-causing nitrate & phosphate in the water. They way they achieve these results is through a natural process called biodegradation. In layman’s terms, the pond bacteria consume the organic waste and the problem nutrients as their food source. So, as these organic wastes are removed, so are the problems they created. This means the murky water clears up, the bottom sludge disappears, and the odors vanish.
Prior to using beneficial pond bacteria. You will need to determine what the murky water and the bottom sludge are comprised of. People assume that since pond bacteria eliminate “murky water” and reduce “muck”, that they will eliminate any kind of murky water and any type of muck. However, this is not true. Beneficial pond bacteria will only eliminate “organic” wastes (dead & decaying plant material, fish wastes, etc.). They will not eliminate “inorganic” wastes (mud, clay and silt particles). So, prior to using pond bacteria to clear up your murky water, you will have to confirm that the murkiness is stemming from suspended particles that are actually organic. The same is true for the muck layer at the bottom of the pond. It must be verified that the muck consists of a build-up of organic debris.
Once we have verified that the murky water and the bottom sludge are the accumulation of “organic” wastes, beneficial pond bacteria are a great solution. They are 100% natural and are very cost effective. The way they accomplish their tasks in ponds, starts when they come into contact with organic waste. They secrete enzymes, which break down the organic waste. Each type of waste requires a specific enzyme to break it down, into a form that can be utilized by the beneficial pond bacteria. For example, the protease enzyme only breaks down proteins. The cellulase enzyme only breaks down cellulose. Pond bacteria can produce and secrete up to 20 or more different enzymes, depending on the exact organic wastes they come into contact with in a pond. As these organic wastes are broken down by the enzymes into a digestible form for the pond bacteria, they can consume these wastes as their food. The byproducts of this process is simply water, carbon dioxide, and more beneficial bacteria. When they accomplish this, they primarily utilize the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the organic wastes. For effective beneficial pond bacteria growth, the carbon-to-nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio (C:N:P Ratio) should be approximately 100:10:1. If any of these are out of balance, it will limit the growth of the beneficial pond bacteria, and pond can become unstable and full of organic wastes.
Since beneficial pond bacteria are 100%, and they remove organic wastes through a natural process of degradation, beneficial pond bacteria products become a preferred choice for pond owners. They may not be the silver bullet, but they do fix many pond issues, and do it naturally, without the use of toxic chemicals.
